13 September 2013

Here is your first look of an "aged" Idris Elba and Naomie Harris as Nelson and Winnie Mandela in the United Kingdom theatrical trailer for Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom. The much-anticipated biopic directed by Justin Chadwick made its world premiere last week at the Toronto Film Festival before opening in the United States on November 29. The film will open in the UK in January 2014.

The British trailer is a sharp contrast to the American version, notes IndieWire's Shadow and Act.

[The UK trailer] is filled with more drama and action, [and] has an immediacy that the American trailer - which seems to emphasize the relationship between Mandela and Winnie as the film's focal point, with its typical Hollywood dominating, swelling soundtrack - doesn't quite project. Plus, unlike the American trailer, in the UK trailer, we get to see what the makeup jobs on an aged Idris and Naomie, as an older Nelson and Winnie, look like.

Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom highlights the iconic South African leader's early life, education and 27 years in prison. The film will "surprise many moviegoers accustomed to the more elderly, white-haired Mandela," notes the Associated Press.

While Elba plays him through old age, with the help of make-up and aging effects, he makes a particular impression as a young firebrand revolutionary. "I certainly just plugged into the energy of Mandela and the way people respect him," said Elba. He added: "There was no messing about with this character and this story." ...

The 95-year-old Mandela has been ailing, so he wasn’t involved in the production or able to meet with Elba. Singh, though, said he showed scenes last year to Mandela on an iPad. When he saw Elba in character, Mandela asked: "Is that me?"

Nelson Mandela was the first Black President of South Africa and served from 1994 to 1999. Mandela was recently hospitalized for almost three months with a recurring lung infection. The infection is believed to date back to the nearly three decades he spent in prison for fighting apartheid and the white minority dominated government.

Watch the new UK trailer and its American counterpart AFTER THE JUMP ...

25 August 2013

The first film still of Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela and Naomie Harris as his former wife Winnie Mandela in Justin Chadwick’s Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom. The much-anticipated biopic will make its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival before opening in the United States on November 29.

Meanwhile: The 95-year-old Nelson Mandela remains hospitalized in South Africa and is said to be in "critical but stable condition," reports the BBC.

"He remains in hospital in Pretoria two-and-a-half months after being admitted with a recurring lung infection. Mr Mandela entered hospital on 8 June. ... The anti-apartheid activist's lung infection is believed to date back to the period of nearly three decades he spent in prison, for his activities in the African National Congress."

Nelson Mandela was the first Black President of South Africa and served from 1994 to 1999.

On a personal note: On my first visit to Ethiopia in late 2011, I stayed on the fifth floor of the Ras Hotel in Addis Ababa. This was the the very same floor where Mandela lived in 1962.
It was an incredible feeling to walk in the shadow of this iconic man.
Also: I was luck enough to be in Zambia and South Africa on a fellowship
in July and August. Almost everywhere you traveled across Sub-Saharan
Africa, the news media and everyone you encountered were discussing the
legacy of "Madiba."

Very much looking forward to watching this film. Watch the recently-released trailer WHEN YOU JUMP ...

08 June 2013

Three weeks ago the first official images debuted of Idris Elba in the upcoming third season of the brilliant BBC crime drama Luther. The four episode season will premiere in September and the first trailer dropped overnight. Watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

06 June 2013

The long, four minute version of the latest spot in Idris Elba's spy-themed advertising campaign for the 2013 Toyota Avalon has just dropped. The three-part series are the first-ever television commercials for Elba. The campaign was created by Burrell to target Black consumers and co-star Nadine Ellis and Jerome "Ro" Brooks.

Always bet on black. Watch the long version of "Getaway", the thirty second broadcast version and a behind-the-scenes featurette WHEN YOU JUMP ...

18 May 2013

Your first look at Idris Elba as Detective Chief Investigator John Luther in Season Three of the BBC series Luther. BBC has confirmed the series will return on BBC One this summer. The Beeb released the first official images for the upcoming four episode third season on Friday ...

And the actor released a behind-the-scenes image from the editorial on his Facebook fan page. One more image and watch the Season Three announcement AFTER THE JUMP ...

15 December 2011

The Artist scored six nominations, more than any other motion picture this year. The Artist was followed by The Help (five nominations) and The Descendants (five nominations). The Help was expected to be a top awards contender and it lived up to its billing. The Help stars Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, and Octavia Spencer were all nominated. The movie has brought in $169,224,625 million at the domestic box office according to Box Office Mojo. The Ides of March, Midnight in Paris and Moneyball also garnered multiple nominations with four nods each.

The Golden Globes are awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The January 15 ceremony will be broadcast live and will once again be hosted by Ricky Gervais.

02 February 2011

Perry will play detective Alex Cross in a new film based on novelist James Patterson's popular character. This would be the first major film role TP has undertaken that doesn't involve one of his own projects ... and it is a role that was conceived and originally packaged around actor Idris Elba.

[It is] essentially a reboot of the James Patterson mystery series that starred Morgan Freeman as the detective psychologist based in D.C. Tyler Perry will headline this version, and Rob Cohen will direct. Distributors are circling the project right now. In fact, Paramount, which distributed the Cross mysteries Kiss the Girls and Along Came A Spider, is interested in taking the project off the table. It will be interesting to see if Lionsgate steps up after Perry has consistently turned in winners for the minimajor, which collects a distribution fee on pictures that Perry owns.

The Alex Cross reboot was originally conceived as a vehicle for actor Idris Elba, who was going to play the character in the novel Cross, with David Twohy directing. Perry became the lead in recent weeks. It's likely to be a controversial choice, and the key will be whether Perry can bring the considerable following that follow his directing vehicles. His biggest successes came when Perry played the female alter ego, the stereotypical matriarch Madea.

"Tyler Perry is a phenomenon. Tyler Perry is one of the most significant entertainers in all of media. He is a huge cross-media talent and presence—and he’s a terrific actor whose range is going to be shown here. You’re going to see Tyler Perry like you haven’t seen him. He’s 6’5″, he is a linebacker. He is an awesome physical presence and is just going to tear it apart here. It’s an intense, dramatic role.” Block says the film—"a kickass, crusading action picture"—will be the first of several Alex Cross films. "This is going to be the new Tyler Perry franchise, a worldwide one."

Perry's last project was directing For Colored Girls, an adaptation of the iconic 1975 Tony Award-winning choreopoem by Ntozake Shange. His movies usually have strong female characters and a substantial female following. The Cross films are action mysteries which appeal to a largely male viewing audience.

Do you buy Tyler Perry as a gun-toting, car-chasing, ass-kicking action hero? It will be interesting to see if his Madea fans follow him. I'm also curious to see how he would bring some heat and handle the physical demands ... and the likely female love interest, too.

It’s not enough that Marvel attacks conservative values and promotes the left-wing, now mythological Gods must be re-invented with black skin. It seems that Marvel Studios believes that white people should have nothing that is unique to themselves. An upcoming movie, based on the comic book Thor, will give Norse mythology an insulting multi-cultural make-over. One of the Gods will be played by Hip Hop DJ Idris Elba.

The Council insists "the American people and government should remain European in their composition and character". The bigots attempt to prove Heimdall's "true" likeness by posting drawings of Heimdall in classic mythology and Marvel’s version from 1960′s-era comic.

Says Idris Elba: "Thor’s mythical, right? He has a hammer that flies to him when he clicks his fingers. That’s OK, but the color of my skin is wrong?"

08 March 2010

British actor Idris Elba covers the current Uptown. Haitian photographer Marc Baptiste lenses a luxe but predictable music video style editorial. BTW, Baptiste is the photographer at the center of the nude picture scandal surrounding Wyclef Jean's former manager.

Elba was most recently seen opposite Beyonce in "Obsessed" and is now executive producing a new legal drama for NBC. He's also DJing and his CD "High Class Problems Vol I" just dropped in the UK. In the editorial, the actor continues the recent editorial trend of Lanvin, Gucci and D&G. The cover and another image WHEN YOU JUMP ...

01 March 2010

NBA superstar and basketball diva Kobe Bryant continues to get the GQ treatment. Fashion auteur Terry Richardson captures the Los Angeles Laker—looking ridiculously fabulous as always—on the cover and in an editorial for the March 2010 issue fashion. (Drake's editorial in the same issue HERE.) Richardson continues the recent trend of documenting Kobe's biceps ... oh and armpits, too, if you like that sort of thing.